Linoleum flooring

ABSTRACT

Described herein is a linoleum flooring product that includes a linoleum substrate and a printed wear layer having decorative indicia. The printed wear layer includes a wear layer and an ink print layer. The linoleum substrate may include a base linoleum layer applied on a backing material and the printed wear layer may be adhesively bonded onto the linoleum substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/144,973 filed on Dec. 31, 2013. The disclosure of the aboveapplication is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to flooring system, and more particularlyto linoleum flooring systems and related methods for making the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Linoleum flooring provides a homogeneous floor covering product that isused in a wide range of residential and commercial applications.Linoleum is an environmentally “green” material being naturallyanti-bacterial, biodegradable, and made from natural materials likelinseed oil, rosin, recycled wood powder, cork dust, limestone, andmineral pigments for color. The linoleum components are mixed,calendered, and bonded to a suitable backing material typically formingrolls of flooring or tiles that are then heat cured for a period oftime.

Linoleum is available in a wide range of colors and decorative patternsor designs which may replicate natural materials (e.g. wood, stone,slate, marble, granite, etc.) and/or create various geometric orfree-form artistic designs. The decorative design elements are generallyformed within the linoleum layers by incorporating additive decorativecomponents (e.g. colored particles, granules, chips, flakes, etc.)arranged in a desired pattern into the linoleum cement duringprocessing. Depending on the complexity and visual effect intended forthe decorative design, this approach may sometimes complicate processingand increase manufacturing costs.

An improved decorative linoleum flooring product and method for makingthe same are desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provide a flooring tile having a first majorsurface opposite a second major surface, the linoleum flooring productcomprising: a backing layer having an upper surface opposite a lowersurface; a linoleum substrate having an upper surface opposite a lowersurface; and a printed wear layer comprising an upper surface opposite alower surface, the printed wear layer comprising: a transparent wearsub-layer; and an inked decorative indicia sub-layer; wherein the lowersurface of the printed wear layer is adhesively bonded to the uppersurface of the linoleum substrate, and the lower surface of the linoleumsubstrate is bonded to the upper surface of the backing layer.

In other embodiments, the present invention is directed to a flooringtile having a first major surface opposite a second major surface, thelinoleum flooring product comprising: a backing layer having an uppersurface opposite a lower surface; a linoleum substrate having an uppersurface opposite a lower surface; an adhesive layer having an uppersurface opposite a lower surface; and a printed wear layer comprising anupper surface opposite a lower surface: wherein the adhesively layer ispresent between the lower surface of the printed wear layer and theupper surface of the linoleum substrate.

The present invention may also provide a linoleum flooring product thatincludes a printed wear layer comprising a decorative indicia which islaminated onto a previously processed and formed linoleum substrate.Accordingly, the printed wear layer may be independently formed in aseparate fabrication process from forming the underlying linoleumsubstrate. Decorative indicia, which may include without limitation anytype of image, wording, pattern, or combination thereof, may be inkprinted either directly onto the wear layer or onto a thin pad coatwhich is then adhered to the wear layer. The completed printed wearlayer in either of the foregoing constructions is then overlaid andadhesively bonded onto an exposed top surface of the linoleum substrate.In one embodiment, a UV (ultraviolet) curable adhesive may be used. Theprinted wear layer may be made of a non-linoleum material in someembodiments, such as without limitation thermoplastic polymers, toproduce a highly wear resistant hybrid linoleum-polymeric flooringproduct.

It bears noting that the decorative design or pattern is formed in thewear layer and not physically integrated into the depth of the linoleumsubstrate structure, and therefore represents a topical surfaceapplication of the wear layer with decorative design onto the linoleum.

According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for forming a printedlinoleum product includes: providing a linoleum substrate formed in afirst fabrication process, the linoleum substrate including at least onelinoleum layer bonded to a backing layer; providing a printed wear layercomprising a inked decorative indicia formed in a second fabricationprocess separate from the first fabrication process, the printed wearlayer including a wear layer and an ink print layer; applying anadhesive onto the linoleum substrate; partially curing the adhesive fora first period of time sufficient to produce a tacky condition;laminating the linoleum substrate with partially cured adhesive and theprinted wear layer together; and curing the adhesive for a second periodof time sufficient to cure the adhesive, wherein the printed wear layerbecomes permanently bonded to the linoleum substrate In variousembodiments, the printed wear layer may be substantially clear ortransparent and be formed of, for example, polyesters, includingpolyethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene terephtalateglycol-modified. In some embodiments, the wear layer is a polymeric filmproduced from polyvinyl chloride, polyester, acrylic, polyurethane andcombinations thereof.

According to another embodiment, a method for forming a printed linoleumproduct includes: providing a linoleum substrate formed in a firstfabrication process, the linoleum substrate including at least onelinoleum layer bonded to a backing layer; providing a printed wear layercomprising an decorative indicia formed in a second fabrication processseparately from the first fabrication process, the printed wear layerincluding a wear layer and an ink print layer; applying an ultravioletcurable adhesive onto the linoleum substrate; exposing the adhesive toan ultraviolet light source for a period of time sufficient to partiallycure the adhesive and produce a tacky condition; laminating the linoleumsubstrate with partially cured adhesive and the printed wear layertogether; and exposing the adhesive to an ultraviolet light source for aperiod of time sufficient to fully cure the adhesive, wherein theprinted wear layer becomes permanently bonded to the linoleum substrate.In various embodiments, the method may further include heating theprinted wear layer prior to laminating. In the foregoing or otherembodiments, the method may also include heating the linoleum substrateprior to laminating.

A linoleum flooring product according to the present disclosure, whichmay be produced by the foregoing methods, comprises a backing layer, alinoleum substrate formed on the backing layer, and a printed wear layercomprising a transparent wear layer and an inked decorative indicia. Theprinted wear layer is adhesively bonded to the linoleum substrate inthis embodiment. The present invention is illustrated with a printedwear layer, but the wear layer can be a transparent or translucent layerwithout any printing applied on the layer to utilize the aestheticalfeatures of the base linoleum layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention willbe described with reference to the following drawings, where likeelements are labeled similarly, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a composite linoleum flooring product accordingto the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view thereof showing the separately formedlinoleum substrate and printed wear layer structures; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for bonding the printed wearlayer to the linoleum substrate.

All drawings are schematic and not necessarily to scale. Parts given areference numerical designation in one figure may be considered to bethe same parts where they appear in other figures without a numericaldesignation for brevity unless specifically labeled with a differentpart number and described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The features and benefits of the invention are illustrated and describedherein by reference to exemplary embodiments. This description ofexemplary embodiments is intended to be read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entirewritten description. The disclosure expressly should not be limited tosuch exemplary embodiments described herein illustrating some possiblenon-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in othercombinations of features.

In the description of embodiments disclosed herein, any reference todirection or orientation is merely intended for convenience ofdescription and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of thepresent invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,”“horizontal,” “vertical,”, “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and“bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,”“downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to theorientation as then described or as shown in the drawing underdiscussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description onlyand do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in aparticular orientation. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,”“connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to arelationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one anothereither directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well asboth movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expresslydescribed otherwise.

FIGS. 1 and 2 depict one exemplary non-limiting embodiment of a linoleumflooring product 100 according to the present disclosure. The flooringproduct 100 includes linoleum substrate 102 and a printed layer 104. Thelinoleum substrate 102 and printed layer 104 each form separateself-supporting unitary structures on their own before being bondedtogether according to the process described herein.

The substrate 102 may be comprised of (from bottom upwards) a backinglayer 110, base linoleum layer 120 formed thereon, and a visual linoleumlayer 130 formed thereon. The printed wear layer 104 may be comprised ofa bottom pad coat 150, a top wear layer 170, and an ink print layer 160comprised of ink printed to form a decorative indicia or design disposedbetween the pad coat or wear layer. An adhesive layer 140 is providedbetween the linoleum substrate 102 and printed wear layer 104 to bondthe two structures together. In some embodiments, a high performanceprotective top layer 180 may be formed onto the top wear layer 170 foradded protection and durability.

Backing layer 110 may be formed of any suitable backing material, suchas for example jute or polyester fabric, canvas, or burlap.

Linoleum layers 120 and 130 are homogeneous material layers which may becomprised of but not limited to linseed oil, rosin, recycled woodpowder, cork dust, limestone, and mineral pigments for color. The visuallinoleum layer 130 is a patterned layer which may include variousdecorative additive components such as without limitation coloredparticles, granules, chips, flakes, or other forms made of linoleumcement or non-linoleum materials such as various linoleum compatiblepolymers. The decorative additive components may be arranged to formdesigns that replicate natural materials (e.g. wood, stone, slate,marble, granite, etc.) and/or create various geometric or free-formartistic designs. The decorative additive components may have adifferent color pigment than the homogenous base color pigment of thelinoleum material in layer 130. The decorative additive componentselements may be added, mixed, pressed, or otherwise incorporated intothe green linoleum material in various patterns and then laminated tofuse the components in the linoleum structure. Other methods may be usedto incorporate and bond the decorative additive components with thelinoleum material in the visual linoleum layer 130.

The base linoleum layer 120 may be relatively plain in structure in someembodiments without decorative additive components like the visuallinoleum layer 130. Base linoleum layer 120 forms an underlayment withrespect to the visual linoleum layer 130. In some embodiments, a singlelinoleum layer may alternatively be used instead of a dual layerconstruction. The invention is not limited to either construction.

Base linoleum layer 120 and visual linoleum layer 130 may haverepresentative thicknesses of about 20 mils and 60 mils, respectively.

Processes for forming base and visual linoleum layers and singlelinoleum layers are well known to those skilled in the art withoutfurther elaboration herein.

In an embodiment, the visual linoleum layer 130 may be omitted and thedecorative pattern may be provided entirely in the printed wear layer104, as further described herein. Advantageously, this eliminates theneed to fabricate and bond two linoleum layers.

The backing layer 110 and duo linoleum layers 120, 130 or a single layer120 (if alternatively used) collectively define a linoleum substrate. Inone embodiment, the linoleum substrate is formed in a first processseparate from a second process of independently forming the printed wearlayer 104 before being bonded to the linoleum substrate.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pad coat 150, ink printlayer 160, and wear layer 170 collectively define the printed wear layer104. Pad coat 150 may be a substantially clear or transparent material,or an opaque material (e.g. white ink). A desired decorative design orpattern may be printed onto the bottom of wear layer 170 which forms theink print layer 160. The ink print layer 160 is preferably disposedbetween the pad coat 150 and wear layer 170. The pad coat 150 has athickness less than the wear layer 170.

Any suitable type ink may be used for printing the pad coat 150 and inkprint layer 160. Some non-limiting examples include non-PVC inks such asnitrous cellulose, UV (ultraviolet) curable ink, and acrylic ink.Preferably, the pad coat 150 and ink print layer 160 are dried beforebonding the printed wear layer 140 onto the linoleum substrate 102.

The wear layer 170 protects the printed pad coat 150 from foot orequipment traffic in the finished linoleum flooring composite. In oneembodiment, the wear layer 170 may be formed from PETG (PolyethyleneTerephtalate Glycol-Modified). PETG is a naturally clear thermoplasticwith high transparency that can be extruded into sheets of varyingthicknesses. Depending on thicknesses used, PETG can vary fromsemi-rigid to rigid and advantageously is lightweight. PETG isrelatively strong and impact-resistant, as well as an effective barrierto alcohol and solvents making this material ideal for a wear layer. ThePETG material may also be pigmented and colored during processing andstill retain its transparency. This expands aesthetic designpossibilities. In the present printed wear layer 104 construction beingdescribed, a wear layer 170 formed of PETG may have a representativenon-limiting thickness of about 0.5 mm. A representative non-limitingrange of thicknesses that may be used is from about and including 2 mils(0.051 mm) to 20 mils (0.5 mm).

Depending on the desired decorative designs selected for the linoleumproduct 100, the printed wear layer 104 may entirely obviate the needfor a visible linoleum layer 130 wherein the decorative design isprovided solely by the printed wear layer. This provides an advantageover standard linoleum because a single pigmented base linoleum layer120 may be used instead of typically two layers—a first base layer 120and a second visible layer 130 having the decorative pattern.Accordingly, the printed wear layer 104 may have designs that replicatenatural materials (e.g. wood, stone, slate, marble, granite, etc.)and/or create various geometric or free-form artistic designs.Advantageously, the printed wear layer 104 linoleum compositeconstruction is less expensive from a fabrication standpoint than usinga visible wear layer 130 because various colored or patterned additivedecorative components (e.g. colored particles, granules, chips, flakes,etc.) do not need to be formed in a linoleum layer, but rather areprovided in the printed wear layer 104 bonded to the linoleum baselayer. It should be noted that the second visible linoleum layer 130 maystill be used if desired, however, to expand the visual decorativedesign possibilities and add depth to the linoleum flooring product 100.

Top protective layer 180 formed on wear layer 170 may be made of a highperformance UV curable coating in one non-limiting example. The topprotective layer may have a representative thickness of about 0.02 mm.In some embodiments, multiple top protective layers 180 may be providedfor added durability. The top protective layer 180 may be applied ontothe wear layer 170 in the linoleum flooring fabrication facility afterthe printed wear layer 104 is bonded to the linoleum substrate 102.

An exemplary method for forming a printed linoleum flooring product 100will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-3. FIG. 3 is a schematicdiagram of a portion of the linoleum flooring product formation process.The wear layer 170 in this exemplary method is made of PETG. The methodor process may employ a UV (ultraviolet) curable adhesive 140 toadhesively bond the printed wear layer 104 onto the linoleum substrate102. Accordingly, adhesive 140 may be cured by a photochemical process.Examples of suitable UV curable adhesive that may be used include UVcurable pressure sensitive adhesives. An exemplary suitable adhesive isa polyester pressure sensitive adhesive produced from 1,3-propanediol,and dicarboxylic acids, including aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, such assebacic acid; aromatic dicarboxylic acids, such as terephthalic acid,isophthalic acids and phthalic anhydride; and mixtures thereof. Curingof the UV curable adhesive may be performed at ambient room temperaturesin some embodiments. In this embodiment, a two-step UV curing process isused as further described below to increase adhesive bonding strength.Suitable adhesives for the present invention are disclosed in aprovisional patent application, U.S. Ser. No. 61/922,263, that is beingfiled concurrently, which is herein incorporated by reference.

The linoleum substrate 102 may be formed in a first process. In oneembodiment, the base and visual linoleum layers 120, 130 are formed andlaminated together in a manner which is well known in the art. Inalternative embodiments described herein in which a single linoleum baselayer 120 also serves as the visual linoleum layer, that single linoleumbase layer 120 would instead be formed on the backing layer 110.Additional heat curing or other processing steps may be performed asneeded to prepare the linoleum substrate 102 for receiving and bondingthe printed wear layer 104 thereon.

The printed wear layer 104 as described above formed by a secondindependent process is provided, which includes the desired printeddecorative indicia. The printed wear layer 104 may include printed padcoat 150 or wear layer 170 may be directly printed without use of thepad coat.

A UV-curable liquid adhesive 140 is first applied directly (by rollercoating or another suitable) method onto the linoleum substrate 102,such as on visual linoleum layer 130 in the two linoleum layer substrateconstruction or on base layer 120 in a single linoleum layerconstruction. In one, the liquid adhesive 140 may be applied to athickness of about 2 mils; however, any suitable application thicknessmay be used to provide satisfactory bonding strength.

The linoleum substrate 102 with adhesive 140 is then passed under anartificial UV light source in a first partial UV curing step for a firstperiod of time sufficient to only partially cure the adhesive to thepoint where the adherence exhibits a tacky and pressure sensitivecondition or quality so that objects (like the printed wear layer 104)will readily stick to the adhesive. In one non-limiting embodiment, aUVA light source may be used having an energy output of about 500 mJ(millijoules). Any suitable artificial UV light source may be used.

Next, the printed wear layer 104 is applied and positioned onto thepartially cured and tacky adhesive 140 layer on the linoleum substrate102 for lamination. In one embodiment, the lamination may be performedin a roll-type laminator 200 comprising a spaced apart pair of rotatingrolls or cylinders defining a gap or nib between them through which theprinted wear layer 104 and linoleum substrate 102 passes. The nib issized to sufficiently press and laminate the printed wear layer 104 andsubstrate 102 together.

In one embodiment, the linoleum substrate 102 and printed wear layer 104are each heated before the foregoing lamination step. Heating of thelinoleum substrate 102 improves bonding to the printed wear layer 104through the laminator or calender 200. The linoleum substrate 102 may beheated using radiant heaters positioned proximate to the substrate. Thelinoleum substrate 102 may be heated to a temperature between about 160degrees F. to 200 degrees F. immediately before lamination.

Because the PETG wear layer 170 may be somewhat semi-rigid in structuredue to the nature of PETG, heating the wear layer 170 advantageouslyincreases its flexibility and allows it to more readily conform to thelinoleum substrate 102 during the laminating process to improve handlingand lamination results. In one embodiment, the printed wear layer 104may be passed under radiant heaters positioned proximate to the surfaceof the printed wear layer 104 and immediately upstream of and before thelaminator rolls. The printed wear layer 104 may be heated to atemperature between about 160 degrees F. to 200 degrees F. immediatelybefore lamination.

Following the laminating process, a second full UV curing step isperformed wherein the entire laminated linoleum substrate 102 andprinted wear layer 104 composite structure is passed under a UV lightsource for a second period of time sufficient to fully cure the adhesive140, thereby bonding the linoleum-printed wear layer composite together.The adhesive now exhibits a dried and hardened condition or quality. Inone embodiment, a UVA light source may be used having an energy outputof about 500 mJ (millijoules). In representative examples, an energyoutput from the UVA light source used may be without limitation in arange of about and including 300 to 1200 mJ. A UVA light source having alonger wavelength than used in the first UV treatment may be used toprovide sufficient penetration through printed wear layer 104 toproperly cure the adhesive and bond the wear layer to the linoleumsubstrate.

One or more top protective layer(s) 180 may next be formed on wear layer170 for added protection and durability. Such protective layers can beformed from a UV curable top coat composition available in the art forexample as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,547. The protective layercomposition can be applied on top of the printed wear layer 104 afterthe printed wear layer 104 is laminated, but before the laminate withthe wear layer 104 is subjected to the second UV treatment such that theadhesive and the protective composition can be simultaneously curedduring the second UV treatment process.

The linoleum product 100 may have any suitable overall thickness.Representative non-limiting thicknesses for linoleum flooring may rangegenerally from about 2.5 mm-3.2 mm in some embodiments.

While the foregoing description and drawings represent exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood thatvarious additions, modifications and substitutions may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope and range of equivalents ofthe accompanying claims. In particular, it will be clear to thoseskilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in otherforms, structures, arrangements, proportions, sizes, and with otherelements, materials, and components, without departing from the spiritor essential characteristics thereof. In addition, numerous variationsin the methods/processes described herein may be made within the scopeof the present disclosure. One skilled in the art will furtherappreciate that the embodiments may be used with many modifications ofstructure, arrangement, proportions, sizes, materials, and componentsand otherwise, used in the practice of the disclosure, which areparticularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirementswithout departing from the principles described herein. The presentlydisclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive. The appended claims should beconstrued broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of thedisclosure, which may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and range of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A flooring tile having a first major surfaceopposite a second major surface, the linoleum flooring productcomprising: a backing layer having an upper surface opposite a lowersurface; a linoleum substrate having an upper surface opposite a lowersurface; and a printed wear layer comprising an upper surface opposite alower surface, the printed wear layer comprising: a transparent wearsub-layer; and an inked decorative indicia sub-layer; wherein the lowersurface of the printed wear layer is adhesively bonded to the uppersurface of the linoleum substrate, and the lower surface of the linoleumsubstrate is bonded to the upper surface of the backing layer.
 2. Theflooring tile of claim 1, wherein the transparent wear layer is formedof polyethylene terephtalate glycol-modified.
 3. The flooring tile ofclaim 1, wherein the second major surface of the linoleum flooringproduct comprises the lower surface of the backing layer.
 4. Theflooring tile of claim 1, wherein the first major surface of thelinoleum flooring product comprises the upper surface of the printedwear layer.
 5. The flooring tile of claim 1, wherein the linoleumsubstrate comprises a base linoleum sub-layer having an upper surfaceopposite a lower surface; and a visible linoleum sub-layer having anupper surface opposite a lower surface; wherein the lower surface of thevisible linoleum sub-layer is adjacent to the upper surface of the baselinoleum layer.
 6. The flooring tile of claim 5, wherein the visiblelinoleum layer includes additive decorative components selected from thegroup consisting of colored particles, granules, chips, and flakes. 7.The flooring tile of claim 1, wherein the printed wear layer is bondedto the linoleum substrate with an ultraviolet curable adhesive.
 8. Theflooring tile of claim 1, wherein the transparent wear layer has athickness of about 0.5 mm.
 9. The flooring tile of claim 1, wherein thedecorative indicia is disposed in the printed wear layer below the wearlayer and linoleum substrate, the decorative indicia being visiblethrough the wear layer.
 10. The flooring tile of claim 1, the printedwear layer further comprising a pad coat sub-layer printed with thedecorative indicia, the pad coat sub-layer being applied to the lowersurface of the inked decorative sub-layer.
 11. A flooring tile having afirst major surface opposite a second major surface, the linoleumflooring product comprising: a backing layer having an upper surfaceopposite a lower surface; a linoleum substrate having an upper surfaceopposite a lower surface; an adhesive layer having an upper surfaceopposite a lower surface; and a printed wear layer comprising an uppersurface opposite a lower surface: wherein the adhesively layer ispresent between the lower surface of the printed wear layer and theupper surface of the linoleum substrate.
 12. The flooring tile of claim11, wherein the transparent wear layer is formed of polyethyleneterephtalate glycol-modified.
 13. The flooring tile of claim 11, whereinthe second major surface of the linoleum flooring product comprises thelower surface of the backing layer.
 14. The flooring tile of claim 11,wherein the first major surface of the linoleum flooring productcomprises the upper surface of the printed wear layer.
 15. The flooringtile of claim 11, wherein the adhesive layer comprises an ultravioletcurable adhesive.
 16. The flooring tile of claim 11, wherein theadhesive layer has a thickness of about 2 mils.
 17. A flooring tilehaving a first major surface opposite a second major surface, thelinoleum flooring product comprising: a linoleum substrate having anupper surface opposite a lower surface; an adhesive layer having anupper surface opposite a lower surface; and a printed wear layercomprising an upper surface opposite a lower surface, the printed wearlayer comprising a transparent wear sub-layer; and wherein the lowersurface of the printed wear layer is adhesively bonded to the uppersurface of the linoleum substrate by the adhesive layer.
 18. Theflooring tile of claim 17, wherein the second major surface of thelinoleum flooring product comprises the lower surface of the backinglayer.
 19. The flooring tile of claim 17, wherein the first majorsurface of the linoleum flooring product comprises the upper surface ofthe printed wear layer.
 20. The flooring tile of claim 17, wherein theadhesive layer comprises an ultraviolet curable adhesive.